Blind Dates and Shepherd's Pies
by AimeeCollins
Summary: Arthur Pendragon, manager of PENDRAGON INC., is forced to go on a blind date with one of his sister's friends. Even though he is convinced that he is straight and tries his best to stay away from druids, he finds himself having way too much fun to his liking... Reincarnation fic! Slash! T for mild swearing.
1. Information

**NOTE:**

Thank you to everyone who summed up the courage to click on this story. This is my first attempt at writing slash, so be warned and RUN RUN RUN WHILE YOU CAN STILL ESCAPE THE SLASH MADNESS!

Teehee, just kidding. I was never really interested in slash, though I did enjoy to read a humorous slash story occasionally. But well, the plot-bunnies are holding me hostage until I contribute to the Merthur-ship-slash-community.

This is basically a reincarnation fic, though Arthur is still Arthur and Merlin is still Merlin (both in appearance and naming) because otherwise it would just become too confusing… None of them know anything about their past lives, though, apart from occasional déjà vu feelings (including the punch lines from the show…)

It's set in present time.

I hope you enjoy reading this! The chapters might be a bit shorter than the chapters in my other stories, I want to keep this fun writing and not an obligation.


	2. Chapter 1: Shepherd's pie

**AUTHOR NOTES: This is a bit shorter than the usual chapters that I do in other stories, but I'm writing this just for fun – and in an attempt to write slash, so I'm not going to pressure myself. **

**I turned the pudding (Merlin's favourite) into a shepherd's pie because, honestly, it didn't look like a pudding at all!**

**CHAPTER ONE: SHEPHERD'S PIE**

'Curse you, Morgana Pendragon.' the blonde man mumbled under his breath while his blue eyes scanned over the menu. He was slouched over the table, one hand supporting his head while the other clutched the table edge firmly – though if you asked about it, he would never admit it – while he waited for his 'date' in dread.

Thank God that it was peaceful in the restaurant and that there were no friends or acquaintances that could gawk at him. Arthur Pendragon had acted up as manager of PENDRAGON INC., the most successful law office in Britain since his father had passed away. Uther Pendragon had always pressured his son to achieve things in life: from elementary school grades to college and university.

Arthur had graduated from Cambrige with straight A's. He'd studied law and was known as one of the most trusted lawyers in the United Kingdom. Even though he secretly despised courtrooms and dreaded another defendant. No, if you'd asked Arthur what he'd wanted to achieve in life, his answer would've probably been something along the lines of: becoming a professional in rugby, starting his own surfing business – he loved his vacations to Australia – or anything else that didn't scream: "I'm sitting behind a desk all day". But what his father wants, his father gets and so Arthur Pendragon became a lawyer.

A year after he'd graduated, he'd returned to Cambridge to study sport science, a two-year taking study that he'd thoroughly enjoyed. Whilst he'd been in Cambridge, spending every second of his free time – the seconds that weren't spent on sports or archery, his hobby – studying, his sister Morgana had ventured out to Oxford, following a very different course.

The dark haired woman, who was his paternal half-sister, had followed both a Celtic study and an English study – reading everything that she could get her hands on, from Shakespeare to Hemingway. There was one thing that Arthur considered strange about his sister: she claimed to be a druid. The man's brows furrowed as he thought about it, while chewing on his lip.

His father had always been a very down-to-earth kind of man, distrustful of anything that couldn't be seen or proven by science. Even though Ygraine, Arthur's mother, had been a druid, or so he'd been told. She'd died three months after his birth, so he didn't remember her. Occasionally, especially after his father's death, he would be plagued by dreams about his mother, none of them being very pleasant. He would often wake up screaming, covered in sweat and chilled to the bone.

Arthur sighed and shook his head in an attempt to get rid of those melancholic thoughts. _You're on a date._ he reminded himself sternly, but the unsettling view of the empty chair on the other end of the table convinced him otherwise. The man looked around the restaurant and found that it was placid. It really did honour its name: TRANQUIL JADE'S_. _Arthur had no idea who this 'Jade' person was, but whoever she was, she'd done a damn well job with the decoration.

The place was light, with a lot of windows that stretched out all the way from the floor to the ceiling, leaving in little space before the next window began. The small tables, sometimes for two persons, sometimes four to even as much as twenty, were made of light wood that Arthur didn't recognize – Morgana knew more about wood than a human being should and would surely be able to give him a detailed description of the species and it's traits – and the floor was made of the same wood.

On every table stood long, artistically curved sets of pepper and salt bottles, flanked by a stack of chequered red napkins. The bar was on the other end of the room, but Arthur hardly ever drank alcohol. Unlike some of his friends, Arthur was afraid of losing the strict control that he'd been taught. He dreaded doing something stupid, something that he would regret later and that was exactly the reason why he did. Not. Want. This. Date.

It had been his sister's idea, after she'd returned from a "Nature retreat" with her bunch of druids. It had been a real shocker for Arthur to find out that his sister believed in magic and actually practiced it, but an even bigger one to find out that there were _more_ people who shared her beliefs. Arthur had no idea what they'd done in the retreat, but he suspected that it had something to do with hopping around on broomsticks, waving 'magical' wands at each other.

The man frowned at the ridiculous mental image of his sister waving a stick up and down. Surely, his well-educated sister couldn't be stupid enough to _really_ believe in magic, could she? Anyway, apparently she'd stumbled across a man during the retreat, who lived not far away from them in Glastonbury. God knows how, she'd come up with the idea of a blind date. Arthur, as unsuspicious as he was, had interjected that they'd already seen each other, making it just a date and not a blind one.

His mocking tone and wide grin had soon faded when she'd exclaimed that not she would be going on the date, but Arthur himself. The man had chocked on his soda, droplets flying from his mouth on the sofa, to disappear quietly into the fabric. '_What?!_ Morgana, you _evil wi-_'

'Excuse me, are you Arthur Pendragon by any chance?' a voice asked, interrupting his stroll down memory lane. Arthur's head shot up and his shoulders automatically straightened out of his slouch when his eyes fell on the man – hardly even a man – that had apparently sauntered toward his table. 'Erhm… Yes.' Arthur said, mentally kicking himself. He knew his own name! There was no need to hesitate!

Yet, when Morgana had talked about the man, Arthur had expected an old man, with a long beard, running around in a robe for some reason. Not this… this young looking man who could barely be older than twenty-two!

Arthur himself was twenty-six and felt a bit self-conscious about his age.  
'Good. Then, what are _you_ doing here, because I was under the impression that I had a date with your sister, and not you.' the man said cheerfully, without introducing himself. Arthur blinked and just stared blankly at the man. Was it just his mind playing tricks with him, or had he met him somewhere before?

He surely wasn't working at PENDRAGON INC., because Arthur couldn't image someone who believed in magic to be a lawyer, or even anything that came close to the law.

'Excuse me, are you all right? … You're kind of staring at me, and it's a bit creepy.' Arthur snapped out of his thoughts and shook his head wildly, earning an amused grin from the dark haired man. The man's face was pale, contrasting with his ruffled, black hair. Not to mention his enormous ears.

'I was just… erhm… deep in thoughts!' he exclaimed, slightly startling the people that were seated around the tables not far away from them. He noticed the slight flicker of surprise in the man's blue eyes as well. Arthur flinched unwillingly. 'Sorry. I'm a bit too noisy sometimes.' the blonde man apologized, gesturing for the young man to take the seat opposite him.

'So, what's your name? Morgana wouldn't tell me.' Arthur asked after a few minutes of rather awkward silence. While Arthur stared at his hands, the man was scanning over the menu with seemingly great interest – too great to be real and ease the awkwardness.

He looked up and frowned. 'She wouldn't tell you? My name is Merlin.' Arthur noticed how Merlin didn't mention his last name and how his tone was slightly amused, but he chose to ignore it. The waiter passed by and asked them what they wanted to drink, on which Arthur ordered another soda and Merlin asked for some grape juice. _Grape juice, really? Stupid druids. _Arthur thought in annoyance.

'My name is Arthur.' Arthur said, until he stiffened and flushed in embarrassment. _He already knows that, idiot!_ he scolded at himself, but Merlin didn't seem to notice. His blue eyes darted from Arthur to his own hands until he grinned quietly. The blonde man flushed even more and leaned away into his chair, wishing that it would swallow him.

'Really? Arthur Pendragon? Arthur and Merlin?' Merlin asked with amusement barely concealed in his tone. Arthur squinted his eyes and grimaced, wondering if someone had turned the heat in the restaurant on "Scorching Desert" He wanted to ask what was so funny about their names, but he just couldn't.

'… You don't know the legends?' Merlin asked in disbelief as his smirk faded. Arthur shook his head hesitatingly and wondered what the heck Merlin was talking about. What legends? Arthur sat back when Merlin began an animated story about the legend of king Athur Pendragon and his advisor Merlin, a sorcerer.

After half an hour and a lot of soda's and grape juices later, Arthur groaned for what felt like the hundredth time that day and shook his head. 'My parents' parents and my parents really had a sick sense of humour.' he complained. It was almost unbelievable how two people had decided to name their daughter Ygraine and two other people had named their son Uther. He suspected that his four grandparents had known each other and had arranged a marriage between their children.

'Why are you laughing like that?' Merlin asked amusedm when he could hardly keep back his laughter. Arthur finally allowed his lips to ease into a big smirk and rolled his eyes. 'My parents. Arranged marriage. Threatened to name me Arthur.' he spluttered between coughs of laughter. Merlin grinned along and tilted back his head to gulp down his grape juice.

The waiter returned and took their salads – or the remains of them - away. Arthur ordered a shepherd's pie and looked up annoyed when Merlin guffawed. The following banter went along the lines of this:

'What? What's funny this time?'  
'You do know that shepherd's pie is usually eaten for dinner, right?'  
'Of course I know that, _Mer_lin. But it's my favourite.'  
'Really? Your favourite? We could share.'  
'And why would I do that, _Mer_lin?'  
'Because it's my favourite too? Besides, I'd save you from making an extra hole in that belt.'  
'Are you saying I'm _fat_?!'  
'… No?'  
'Good, because I'm not.'  
'Still, it would save you from another hole.'  
'_MERLIN!'_

Several guests looked up curiously to see what all the fuss was about and Arthur ducked his head in embarrassment. Merlin grinned quietly, but his eyes widened when the blonde man threw a napkin at him, that landed in the middle of the table. He cocked an eyebrow at the red fabric and chuckled. 'Now that went well.'

Two hours later, TRANQUIL JADE'S guests were glad to see the couple leave. Both with ruffled hair and glimmering eyes and grins plastered on their faces that wouldn't disappear for at least a day. Though he'd ruffled through Merlin's hair on the way out, when the dark haired man had made a comment about the blonde man's belt getting tighter by the minute, nothing more intimate had happened between the two. Seeing as Merlin had expected to have a date with his sister, Arthur could only imagine that he'd been nervous about that as well.

Arthur dreaded the next date, but couldn't help but feel impatient as well.


	3. Chapter 2: The Wall of Embarrassment

**Thank you to everyone who reviewed and favourited! Can you believe that we hardly saw any Mordred in this and last week's episodes? All he did in The Death Song of Uther Pendragon was ask a question! (Can you believe that Arthur never asked "What was my father about to say before I sent him back?" to Merlin? Is he **_**stupid**_**?)**

**2. The Wall of Embarrassment**

Arthur didn't know exactly why he'd agreed to go climbing with Merlin, but now, he deeply regretted it and wished that he was anywhere else, _anywhere_, even a courtroom would be better than _this_. Even though he was strapped tightly in a safety harness, he couldn't fight the dizziness and nausea that were clutching at his stomach.

'… Erhm, Arthur? Are you going to stay there all day?' Merlin asked, two metres below him. 'Because it's three more hours before this place closes, you know.' the young man said, though even _he_ couldn't hide the concern in his voice. Arthur gritted his teeth and fixed his gaze intently on the blue stone just above his head. It was almost perfectly round and within his reach. If he just stretched out his hand…

His hand came up excruciatingly slowly, his fingers digging into the three holes that were barely three inches deep: he couldn't possibly use it to heft his body up, could he? His muscles tensed and rolled underneath his red sleeved shirt, but his legs wouldn't obey. Arthur groaned and clenched his jaws tightly, but eventually he had to let go and sighed when a painful warmth caused by cramped muscles went through his legs and arm. He shook his head and barked a laugh that only slightly bordered hysteria.

'Shit! I can't do this, Merlin. Get. Me. Out. Of. Here. _Now_.' Merlin shook his head at how somehow, even though the obvious panic that the blonde man was feeling, he still managed to make it sound like an order. Arthur surrendered and the grip on the stones became harder, shutting his eyes so tightly that stars danced across the inside of his eyelids. He vaguely heard Merlin talking to someone, he assumed it was the instructor, but he didn't care. All he wanted was to get off that wall, immediately.

It was a bit ironic, that Britain's most trusted lawyer, who'd defended anyone from the homeless to suspected murderers (who'd been found _not guilty_ after the trial, as he often reminded interviewers and press) was afraid of heights. And climbing walls. For some reason, they made him feel nervous and sick to the stomach even _before_ he was on them. Something that he'd 'forgotten' to mention when Merlin had suggested it for their second date.

After he'd found out that Merlin was an experienced climber – even though the dark haired man had never climbed actual mountains – Arthur had swallowed down the confession that had been lying on his tongue, telling himself to man up and at least climb halfway to the top. Unfortunately the climbing wall appeared to be five metres in height. Which inevitably meant that he still had half a metre to go.

He heard a rope being pulled down and sighed in relief. Someone was going to rescue him! _Finally_. It had taken them long enough to realize that he wasn't going to come down on his own accord, let alone get to the top without any help.

'All right. I'm on your right, a few inches below. You're almost there.' Merlin's perky voice sounded a few inches away, even though it was laced with concern and amusement. Arthur nodded, but couldn't even think about looking at anything but the grey wall in front of him. He gritted his teeth and clutched the stones even tighter.

'Just stretch out your hands and grasp the stone above your head.' the dark haired man encouraged him. Arthur looked up at the blue stone, which suddenly seemed to be further away than it had been before. And was it just his imagination, or did it look very unstable and loose? Sure enough, when he grasped the stone from both sides, it moved and Arthur released it with a fearful scream. He felt himself falling and clutched some other stones quickly, even though he knew his fear of falling was irrational. He was in harness, he couldn't fall down. The ropes were strong.

But he'd been telling himself that all the time, at each and every stone and each and every inch and it evidently hadn't worked out. He tried to control his breathing, just like Morgana had always instructed him whenever he'd felt stressed or angry, but he felt his pulse quickening and he knew that he was going into a full blown panic attack if no-one helped him.

He heard Merlin sigh and started when the dark haired man seemed to move downward. _No, oh God please don't leave me hanging here!_ he pleaded in his mind, breathing faster and faster now. His heart hammered inside his chest, as if it wanted to jump out and his palms became sweaty, his fingers slowly but surely slipping off the climbing stones. Arthur gasped and pressed himself against the wall when he suddenly felt Merlin's body against his back.

'Listen to me, Arthur. I'll have to put my arm around your waist, okay? I'll hold both of the ropes with my other hand. You can squeeze it if you'd like.' In any other situation, Arthur would've snorted and refused any sort of physical contact, but now he would do anything if it would get his feet back on the ground. 'Okay.' he muttered, while he shut up the little voice in his head that reminded him that it was their second _date._

Merlin's arm slipped around his waist and Arthur was surprised at the strength that he felt in it. He hadn't expected the scrawny man to be so… muscly, even though he _was_ taller than Arthur himself. A scream escaped his lips when, without warning, Merlin suddenly released the stone that he'd been gripping to grasp the ropes. For one second, Arthur thought that the ropes would break under their combined weight – even though he enjoyed working out, he knew he wasn't really a light-weight – but they held it, to his relief.

'God, I feel so embarrassed.' Arthur confessed when Merlin pushed himself off the wall, making them descend a few feet. 'If anyone asks, I was _not_ squeezing your hand.' he said in a low voice, even though the hysteria hadn't left yet. The dark haired man chuckled and goose-bumps formed on Arthur's arms when he felt the hot breath whooshing over his head.

'I suppose I'll have to hide the bruises you're making, then.' Merlin said in a perky tone. It was true: Arthur was squeezing hard enough to hurt his dark haired companion. He spluttered a lot of "I'm sorry"'s, until Merlin waved it away and told him that it was all right. Arthur flinched when he heard an all too familiar _click_ underneath them: someone had just made a picture. And he was scared to death that it had been a picture of _them_.

'Did you hear that?' Arthur asked when his feet touched the ground. He sighed in relief and stretched his cramped muscles and rubbed over his shins, that had been so tensed that they were painful. Merlin frowned and then smirked mischievously.

'You mean the sound of your fear of heights cowering away because you're on the ground?' he asked challengingly. Arthur wacked the man behind the head and shook his head in irritation when another loud _click_ sounded. When he looked around, he saw a teenage girl clicking picture after picture with her Blackberry. He was about to make his way toward the girl to lecture her on privacy, when Merlin laid his hand on his arm to hold him back. Arthur swallowed at the contact and felt relieved when Merlin's arm fell to his side.

'Oh, _that_.' he said, nodding at the girl. 'Just leave her, Arthur. She has the right to make pictures, you know.' the dark haired man said with a frown on his face, studying Arthur closely. Arthur rubbed the back of his neck and was about to say that he didn't agree with it, when he decided to follow his friend's advice. He nodded thoughtfully and watched the girl make more pictures, thankfully of other climbers.

**x.X.x BLIND DATES AND SHEPHERD'S PIES x.X.x**

Thirty minutes later, they were sitting across from each other on a table in a bar. Merlin was laughing at a joke that Arthur had made and Arthur couldn't keep himself from mirroring the bright grin. Merlin really did look cute when he laughed… _- I did not just think that. I DIDN'T. _Arthur told himself, but he kept smiling and trying to make the dark haired man laugh the entire time.

At one point he accidentally knocked over his glass of coke with his elbow and reached out for it, even though he knew that it wouldn't make a difference. He cringed when he realized that it was going to fall and break, scattering shards of glass around their table and spilling coke everywhere. But, to his disbelief, the glass just _stopped_ falling, at an impossible angle. No liquid had the time to spill and Arthur could swear that he saw black droplets hanging in the air.

Merlin's pale hand shot forward and put the glass back on the table before Arthur even had time to blink. The lawyer stared at the glass for a minute, stunned and silent, before his eyes moved to his companion. Merlin's blue eyes were widened and filled with fear and shock, as if he hadn't expected himself to do… yes, _what_ exactly?'

'What just happened?' Arthur heard himself demand, as a strange sensation of dizziness spread through his head and he gripped the edge of the table to steady himself. His knuckles paled and he just couldn't find out why he felt so… he couldn't even describe the feeling that went through him. It felt as if he was having a major déjà vu moment, as if this was something that he'd been very close to many times, as if it had finally happened some time and that it was now happening again.

'… Nothing. Nothing happened!' the dark haired man spluttered, fear lacing his voice when Arthur leaned forward. The blonde man narrowed his eyes at his friend and had to bite his tongue to keep himself from pointing his finger at man on the other end of the table.

'I'm not _stupid_, _Mer_lin.' Arthur said and he could hear the irritation in his voice. Morgana had talked about magic enthusiastically, but surely this had been his own imagination, right? Magic didn't exist, and if it did, it only existed in the minds of those who truly believed in it. That was what he'd always told himself whenever Morgana had returned from one of her weekly visits ("celebrations", as she'd called them), but a glass stopping in the middle of a fall wasn't normal either, was it?

The man looked around nervously and Arthur wondered why there was so much _fear_ in his eyes. It was raw, pure fear mixed with just a little hint of blazing agony and Arthur felt his heart bleeding because of it. Merlin wasn't actually _afraid_ of him, was he? His thoughts were confirmed when the dark haired man flew from his seat and dashed out of the bar, leaving his brown leather jacket hanging on the chair, something that Arthur had _never_ seen him do.

'Merlin!' Arthur yelled loudly, ignoring the looks that the other visitors threw him, before he snatched the leather jacket off the seat and followed his friend. Something told him that this was very important, that if he let Merlin leave now, he would never see him again. After a few minutes Arthur found himself at a crossway and looked from the left to the right. He had no idea where Merlin had gone off to.

Eventually, after pondering about it, Arthur chose left and hoped that it was the right way. He gulped when he ran into the dark alley, that apparently lead to a dead end. He found Merlin there, looking around for a way out and advanced on his friend.

'Merlin…' he said hesitantly while he walked toward the dark haired man. Merlin started and whirled around so fast that he had to blink. 'Arthur.' Merlin said, his voice sounded guarded, his expression unreadable. In the dimly lit alley his face looked even paler, but more sharp-edged as well.

'Why did you run away? What happened in the bar?' he asked a bit louder, now that he was gaining more confidence. His friend shook his head and held up his hands, shrugging helplessly, as if even he had no idea how to explain it. The things he said made Arthur cringe.

'I don't know.' Merlin confessed softly, shuffling his feet on the ground. 'I was… afraid, I guess. You know that I'm a druid, because of your sister, but you don't… you don't know what magic is. You don't know what it can_ do_.' Arthur took a step closer, but jumped back when Merlin's hand shot out, even though the blonde man was out of his reach.

'Then tell me, what can it do?' Arthur asked, on his guard. What if Merlin was a sociopath, or some madman in a psychosis? Merlin shook his head and blinked heavily, obviously trying to fight whatever emotion that he was feeling. When the man lifted his head to look at him, Arthur could see the tears shining in his blue eyes, he could see the feeling of hopelessness that had gripped the man.

Arthur took some steps forward, more steps than he cared to count and fixed his gaze on the man firmly. 'Merlin. Just tell me. What's bothering you?' Arthur pressed, his steps forward almost causing Merlin to trip over his own feet in an attempt to hastily get away from him. The dark haired man kept on shaking his head, biting his tongue and so Arthur was forced to take _more_ steps forward.

'Arthur.' Merlin said suddenly, his voice sounding so strange that Arthur frowned. 'What?' he asked.

'I'm standing against the wall.'

Arthur blinked and looked at his hands, to find out that they were indeed resting on the wall loosely and that he'd indeed cornered his friend against the wall. He looked up at Merlin and could hardly believe how close they were, only inches between their bodies.

'Just tell me, Merlin. I won't think any different of you. Tell me what magic can do.' Arthur whispered, his voice low and hoarse for a reason that he didn't know. Merlin's eyes widened, but then his expression became unreadable again and he nodded slightly, seemingly accepting whatever that was to come.

Arthur jumped and screamed the trashcans in the alley caught fire and the flames flared up high enough to illuminate the entire alley. He didn't know if it was the fire or his imagination, but Arthur was fairly sure that he saw the fire reflected in Merlin's blue eyes… _from the inside_.

'What… how… Shit! Son of a _bitch_!' Arthur cursed when his heart sped up in fear. Morgana had often told him that magic was _real_ and visible, but he'd never believed her. He'd never thought that it could make _fire_. His entire body trembled when he jumped back and stared at Merlin with a crazed expression.

'I was born with it.'

Those five words ignited something within Arthur that he didn't understand, couldn't recognize. He felt an unbearable heat sweeping through his body and swayed on his legs when stars danced across his vision.

'_Merlin_…'

The word was laced with just a hint of recognition and the glimpse of a memory faded before Arthur could grasp it. His dark haired friend jumped forward to catch him just before the lights went out.


	4. Christmas drabble

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: **Unfortunately, this isn't the next chapter of BDASP. This is just something that wouldn't leave my mind, and it would take too long before the next chapter was up to write it. Christmas would've passed by the time that the next chapter is posted. Don't expect too much of this drabble, because I wrote it in fifteen minutes or so.

This is just a drabble (of almost 600 words) and thus doesn't take place in Blind Dates and Shepherd Pies.

**THE ADVENTURES OF MERLIN… UNDER THE MISTLETOE? **

Arthur was surrounded by friends and his remaining family – a couple of aunts and uncles, including Agravaine – when he saw Merlin and Morgana standing next to each other, both with a glass of wine in hand, looking at him.

No, they weren't looking at _him_, but looking at the empty space _next to him_.

He sneaked a glance to his right, but really, there was nothing there.

He looked back to his half-sister and his… sort-of-friend/boyfriend- _No_, he thought to himself sternly. _Merlin is NOT my boyfriend_. Arthur shook his head in annoyance and looked back to Merlin and Morgana.

Both were still looking at the empty space on his right. His brows creased together when Merlin leaned over to Morgana and whispered something in her ear. Something that was, apparently, very funny, because she grinned at him and nodded.

_They've had enough fun._ Arthur thought, so he picked himself up and briskly walked toward them.

'Finally, brother. I was beginning to think that you'd forgotten how to move.' Morgana teased with her Witchy-Smirk plastered on her face. He opened his mouth to give her a smart retort, but she walked past him, her cocktail dress brushing against his side.

Arthur was left standing in front of Merlin and lifted an eyebrow.

'So, what's all the staring about?' he asked, only a _little bit_ curious, or so he told himself.

'Well… that was just a way to trick you.' Merlin confessed, rubbing the back of his neck with a hand.

The blonde haired man stared at him, with both eyebrows raised.

'_Excuse me_?'

Merlin laughed and rolled his crystalline blue eyes. Then, he did something peculiar. The raven haired man coughed exaggeratingly loudly and his eyes travelled upward to the ceiling expectantly.

Arthur stared at him dumbfounded.

'_Look up!'_ Merlin mumbled sharply, moving his lips as little as possible. Arthur made the mistake of listening and looked up.

… To see a mistletoe on the ceiling.

He looked back at Merlin immediately, who looked quite frightened but also somewhat expectant.

Arthur shook his head.

'No. No way. _No way_, _Mer_lin! I'm not going to-.'

He'd said it too loudly and now everyone, including Agravaine, was looking at them silently. Arthur felt his back tingle with the eyes that were most definitely staring at him.

Merlin's eyebrows were lifted and most frankly, the man looked like a lost puppy.

_And now I feel bad._

Arthur rolled his eyes, bit his lip and quickly leaned forward. Merlin's eyes widened only slightly before their lips touched and immediately, Arthur took a step back.

A cadence of clapping and guffaws rounded on him. The blonde man looked around and saw his family laughing. His younger cousin gave him a thumbs up with suggestive eyebrow wiggle. He contemplated saying something about it, but decided against it when he saw that Merlin was laughing along.

Merlin caught his glance and his smile faded. Arthur sighed, shook his head and whacked his friend behind the head before ushering him away from the mistletoe with a steady hand on his back.

Preferably very, _very_ far away.


	5. Chapter 3: Spent the night

**A BIG THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO REVIEWED/FAVOURITED AND/OR FOLLOWED ME OR MY STORY! Goodness, finally here's chapter three. I found myself with a writer's block, but finally I managed to kill it. It's not my best, but I hope that you like it. There's little fluff in here, and some meanness, but I still hope everyone likes it!**

**That's all. **

**CHAPTER THREE: I SPENT THE NIGHT AT- **_**WHAT**_**?!**

_Arthur moved his arms back and forth experimentally. The chain mail made a tinkling sound and Arthur smiled. The sound reminded him of training with the knights, of battles and tournaments and wars. Merlin was somewhere meddling with his sword, but Arthur's back faced his manservant, so he didn't see the golden flash of eyes, nor did he notice the protective spells that were woven into the sword's hilt. _

'_You're sure you can't withdraw?' Merlin asked tentatively, which caused Arthur to shrug and roll his eyes _yet again_. His manservant was once again trying to get him to withdraw from a tournament that could very well end in his death. Even Arthur saw the possible dangers, but he _couldn't_ withdraw. What kind of king would he to scare away from a fight, just because his opponent happened to possess magic? _

'_Sure, I'll withdraw.' Arthur said, while he turned around. He couldn't keep himself from laughing out loud when Merlin's jaw practically dropped to the flour.  
'Will you tell my people that I'm a coward, cowering away from a little _magic_?' Arthur sneered. Merlin paled a little and looked quite offended. Arthur felt sorry immediately, he shouldn't have sneered like that.  
'Sorry, Merlin. I shouldn't have-' he began, but Merlin shook his head and pushed Excalibur into Arthur's hands. Taking the sword was the only way to keep the sharp blade from cutting off his toes, but as soon as he had a firm grip on the hilt, he grabbed hold of it with one hand, pulling Merlin's arm when the latter tried to walk away.  
But Merlin, clumsy as he was, tripped over his own feet and ended up falling against Arthur's chest. Somehow, Arthur found his hand laying on Merlin's back, to steady the man._

_His manservant looked up at him with wide, frightened eyes. Arthur just looked down at him, his expression unreadable, but his eyes guarded. He didn't know what he was feeling, he didn't _want_ to know what he was feeling.  
'Arthur.' Merlin said, shaking his head. Arthur didn't reply. It was as if he'd forgotten how to speak, how to move.  
'Arthur.' Merlin said again, louder now. Again, Arthur didn't speak. Instead, he slowly leaned forward, eyes trained to Merlin's lips._

'ARTHUR!Wake up_ sleeping beauty_!'

His eyes flew open and he practically jumped off the couch, accidentally hitting someone in the face with his fist.  
'_Umpf!_' the man who'd awakened him muttered. But it wasn't Merlin, although the height and hair colour was almost identical. It was…

'_Gwaine?!_ What the _hell_ are you doing here?' Arthur asked, while he stared at his best friend, mouth slightly opened, forming an almost comical 'o' shape.

The man, Gwaine, rubbed the back of his neck with a hand, while he kept the other pressed against his already swelling cheek. A big, reddening bruise was forming on the skin. One thought fell over the other in Arthur's mind, all struggling to be the first to be thought about. What if Gwaine _lived_ here? What if Gwaine was gay – Arthur actually knew that for sure – _with Merlin_?

_Woah, slow down. _Why_ does that concern me so much? – It doesn't! It doesn't concern me, not at all!_

Once again he got this strange sensation of déjà vu, which would've interested him, if they weren't at Merlin's house. Or was it Gwaine's house they were in? Arthur looked around, searching for anything that looked familiar, for any signs of who this house belonged to, but there weren't even pictures on side tables or anything like that.

'Whose…?' Arthur asked, vaguely making a gesture that included the living room.

Gwaine cocked his head to the side and smirked.  
'You don't remember? Man, you're pretty messed up. We're at Merlin's place. He literally _carried_ you in here yesterday. How much did you drink this time, mate?'

Arthur rubbed over his forehead, suddenly attacked by a headache that almost caused him to pass out again.  
'Eh… Don't know. More than I could handle, obviously. What're you doing at _Merlin's_ anyway?'

Arthur had to bite his tongue to keep it from sounding accusing. He wasn't feeling possessive. He wasn't feeling possessive. He wasn't feeling-

'Oh, you're awake! Good, because- Gwaine, what _are_ you doing here? I told you to leave. _Yesterday_.' Merlin's voice came from out of what Arthur assumed was the kitchen. Meanwhile, thunder was roaring in Arthur's head.

_I told you to leave. I told you to leave. Yesterday yesterday yesterday_.

He felt blood rush to his head all of the sudden, for it to rush out of his head seconds later. He staggered forward a bit, only to be caught by Merlin.

'Woah. Steady. You need to sit down.' Arthur was gently being pushed toward the couch, though he didn't want to sit down. He wanted an explanation. An explanation as to why exactly Gwaine seemed to be staying here… why he was feeling all the déjà vus and why he was having such strange dreams.

Arthurian legends seemed to play out as a movie in his dreams, but the most bizarre part of them was that it contained both him and _Merlin_. Maybe the whole Arthurian legend thing was getting to his head, but Morgana often spoke about dreams reflecting what one truly felt.

He didn't know what to make of the last dream. Arthur sank down on the couch and held his head in his hands. Then he looked up at Gwaine and Merlin, who were looking somewhat anxious and expectant.

'I hope _someone_ has a very good explanation for this, or else…' Arthur growled. Gwaine and Merlin shared a look that said '_Oh God, get me out of here _NOW_!' _and simultaneously gulped.

* * *

Arthur didn't know exactly how they ended up there, standing in snow that just about swallowed their shoes, with snowflakes in their hair and shivering in the cold. All he knew was that Merlin had explained that when Gwaine had been kicked out by his roommate, he'd been so kind to take him in, because they'd been childhood friends. Something about that just didn't sound right, but Arthur couldn't put his finger on _what_ it was exactly.

He did know, however, that it started with his family crowding around them…

-FLASHBACK, THIRTY MINUTES AGO-

Arthur's family occupied just about every room of the house that he and his sister owned. They were laughing and chatting in abundance, stopping from time to time to dip of a cracker into a spicy guacamole dip or to compliment a relative on their weight loss or new hairstyle.

It started with Agravaine.

His dark haired, somewhat sinister looking uncle threw a glance in their – Merlin and Arthur's – way, before whispering something into his brother's ear. Tristan, Arthur's other uncle, turned and glanced at them as well, with a smile tugging up the corners of his lips that just meant _trouble_.

'Hey Arthur, when're you planning on coming out of the closet?'  
'I'm _not_ gay, uncle.'  
'Sure you are, standing there with your little friend. Haven't you noticed that he's following you around like a puppy?'  
'Perhaps it's his new lapdog.'  
'Quite scrawny for a lapdog, that is.'  
'I'm sure he does better in bed, looks can be deceiving. Underneath those scrawny bones might be a tiger hiding.'  
'Hehe. _Rawr, _eh, Arty?'

Arthur noticed that Merlin was slowly taking steps back, one at a time. He didn't bother looking over his shoulder, he knew that Merlin was probably pale and wide-eyed and close to panicking. He reached out to grab Merlin's arm, but because he didn't know where exactly Merlin was, stroked over the man's hand on accident. Naturally, he pulled back his hand the minute he realized his mistake.

'Ah, look, they're holding hands!'  
'Arty's _finally_ out of the closet!'  
'With that _Martin_ guy of all guys! Why couldn't it be Gwaine?!'  
'Oh, look, he's in the closet again. Damn. I guess no pictures to put on the Christmas cards next year.'

Arthur was now slowly backing Merlin away from his family and toward the door. Somewhere, a glass made a loud _pang!_ when it burst into little pieces. He heard a sharp intake of breath behind him and realized that _Merlin_ had done that.

'Come on, we're getting out-'

'Oh _come on_ Arty! Move _away_ from the light and toward that closet threshold!'  
'Don't worry, Merlin's with you on _every step of the way_.'  
'He can probably even learn you how to suck his-'

PANG!

This time Arthur was sure that it hadn't been Merlin, but _Morgana_ who caused the chandelier above their heads to explode. To avoid the million shards of glass that were raining down on them, Arthur swung the door open and pushed Merlin out before the latter could even protest.

'Arthur, what-'

'Shut up and keep running!' Arthur shouted, pushing Merlin out in front of him, forcing him to run.

They finally stopped when they were near a local park. There, they proceeded to walk at a slow gait.

Merlin rubbed his hands together and exhaled, his breath forming white clouds in the air. It was still raining snowflakes, and Merlin's hair quickly looked like it was covered in little white light bulbs.

'Sorry.' Arthur muttered when he saw Merlin jumping around in an attempt to keep himself warm.

Merlin shook his head, but kept jumping. 'It's okay. It's not_ that_ cold.' he said with a smile.

'Yeah right!' Arthur breezed, because even _he_ felt the frostbite seeping through his clothes already.

The dark haired man paused and smiled at Arthur slightly. 'Yeah, it _is_ pretty cold.'

'Sorry.' Arthur muttered again. He rubbed over Merlin's back in an attempt to warm him up, but he didn't think it would work.

'I'm sorry to say it, but… your family is _awful_.' Merlin said after a few minutes of silence. Arthur nodded in silent agreement and cocked his head, watching Merlin closely, worriedly.

'I know. It's mainly my uncle, Agravaine, though. Without him I doubt that all the others would be so mean.' Arthur confessed, slightly worried about his friend. Merlin looked pale, and his eyes were still widely opened. He looked like he could run off any second.

'Aggravating Agravaine.' Merlin joked. Arthur couldn't help but laugh , but quickly sobered up.

'My father was the worst though. Always expecting more from me, always pushing me to study so hard that I hardly had time to make friends. I never got to play sports until I graduated from law school. I took over the law company only because my father wanted me to.' Arthur said softly, not sure if Merlin could hear him.

'I'm sorry.' Merlin said, sounding genuine and compassionate. Arthur barked a laugh and shrugged.

'You know, the worst thing was that I was _jealous_ of Morgana. She's never had to live up to those expectations. She had a free and full childhood, she could do things she _wanted _to do, play sports in abundance, make friends and hang out with them…'

Merlin nodded silently and gave Arthur the room and time to finish speaking, just being _there_, as a strong, supportive silent force.

'But then I realized, is it really worth it? Having a nice childhood filled with friends, but not being acknowledged by your father, while he _knows_ that you exist, until it's almost too late? Morgana thought that she had no father, after her adoptive father died in war when she was ten. Only to find out that she _did_ have a father, and to lose him weeks later. If that were me, I would be so angry. But what's the point of feeling anger toward a dead man?'

Arthur sighed heavily and his shoulders slumped in the process. He felt a hand around his waist, holding him tightly. Merlin looked at him and squeezed reassuringly before letting go.

'Thanks.' Arthur muttered.

'You're welcome.' Merlin replied, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

'What would I be without you?'  
'A workaholic who hardly comes outside anymore?'  
'That was rhetorical, _Mer_lin!'

Merlin opened his mouth to make another smart retort, but had to dash away when Arthur gave chase. The two men playfully chased after each other through the snow, temporarily forgetting about the cold and their troubles.

It was only when Arthur came home, finding the house empty and dark, that the revelation struck him like lighting.

'_Gwaine and I have been friends since childhood, I couldn't let him be _homeless_.'  
'A man, who moved to Glastonbury not long ago. I met him at the nature's retreat.'_

His vision blurred and countless of memories and voices thundered through his head. How could Gwaine be Merlin's childhood friend, while Gwaine had lived in Glastonbury for as long as Arthur could remember?

_Who_ exactly was Merlin? Arthur wondered, while he climbed into his bed and clicked the lights out. His sleep was only light and filled with dreams and nightmares, all with Merlin in them in one way or another. And all of them took place in the Arthurian time.


	6. Chapter 4: A new case

**Thanks sooo much to everyone who followed this story! I didn't expect so many people to follow it! **

**Side-note: I don't know how many years one could get for rape and/or murder, but in my country it's generally 3-6 years for rape and 20 (but usually one gets released on parole after a few years). I do know that there is/was a death penalty in America. I know, our system is really messed up. You get three months for (accidentally, mind you) killing someone in a fight, three years for rape and you're usually out five years after murdering someone. How anyone in their right minds could let someone out of prison for MURDER, I don't know, but well, that's my messed up country. **

**This wasn't revised, by the way, or beta'd. If there's any spell/grammatical faults that the spelling check didn't catch, then I'm sorry. I just don't feel like re-reading it, because I just started re-watching Merlin and it makes me feel sad and happy at the same time to see how it all began. :/**

**CHAPTER FOUR: A NEW CASE**

He ran as fast as his legs would carry him. Normally, Arthur would run using his Iphone for music, but for once, he'd rather enjoy hearing the cheerful chirps from the birds and hear the wind stroke leaves and bushes over the latest top-40 music.

The reason for his outrageous run instead of the steady-paced jogging that he usually did was the article in the daily newspaper that was stuffed into their undersized mailbox. After smoothing out the crumpled paper and folding it open, the words screamed at him in bold, all-caps letters, above a picture of a six year old girl.

**SIX-YEAR OLD GIRL RAPED AND BRUTALLY MURDERED BY STEPFATHER  
What has become of mankind?**

The article proceed to tell that the girl, Sady, had a hard time when her parents got divorced and an even harder time when her mother re-married a man that she didn't like. It ended with a quote from the girl's mother, saying that she wished that she had listened to her little girl when she'd said that she thought the man was 'strange'.

Seconds after finishing the article, Arthur dropped the paper and reached for his iPhone, calling his company and insisting that he would cover this case. Knowing the stubbornness and persistence of Arthur Pendragon, no-one objected. Convincing the police, however, was a bit harder.

They knew Arthur and they knew that he was a good lawyer. But they were afraid that he couldn't handle it. It was a fact that the man had raped his stepchild, because they'd found _his_ DNA, but the evidence of the actual murder was hardly enough to convict him for that. If the man was convicted for rape, he would be out of prison in no less than three to six years.

Eventually, using all of his charms, he managed to convince them.

But now he had to hold his case with so little evidence that it seemed hopeless. If he wanted to convict this man for both rape and murder, which would get him locked in prison for the rest of his life, he would need evidence. Somehow, somewhere.

Arthur shook his head and stopped running, to lean against a tree. When the blonde haired man looked around, he found himself in front of Merlin's house. He blinked against the sun, to see the tall white house. It was a detached house, a_ huge_ house by Arthur's standards. Sure, Morgana and him owned a big house, but it was because he was a lawyer and because their father's inheritance had allowed them to pay off the mortgage.

Now that he thought about it, Arthur realized that he had no idea what Merlin did for a living. He shook his head and walked toward the door, holding up his hand to knock – for whatever reason, Merlin didn't seem to have a bell to ring - when the door was opened.

Arthur lowered his hand in confusion and opened his mouth to ask, when Merlin gestured for him to come in, saying: 'I read the newspaper.'

A few minutes later, they were sitting on the couch, in the house that was filled by natural light that came through the huge windows. A slide door allowed passage to a garden that seemed to be filled with trees, flowers and willows that seemed to come out of fairy tales. He was especially amazed by the many willows, that seemed to have veins and branches meandering around their trunks like they were embracing themselves.

'It's so sad. Poor girl.' Merlin said with a sigh. 'The worse thing is that everyone will talk about it for a while and then forget. Ask anyone about the girl in three weeks and they won't know what you're talking about.'

Arthur couldn't do anything but nod and agree, but his shoulders slumped at the same time. He stared at his tea, that he hadn't even touched yet. 'I won't. I've got the case. I'm the prosecutor.'

Merlin glanced at him and Arthur couldn't help but notice the worry that was clear in the man's eyes. 'Are you sure you want to?' the man asked, and Arthur nodded stubbornly.

'It's my duty, Merlin. The evidence of the murder is hardly there, if I back down then that man will get six years and be out to murder little girls again.' Arthur said, with his lips drawn in a tight line. Merlin shook his head in a amazement and laid his hand on Arthur's shoulder, squeezing just slightly.

The effect it had on him was great. Arthur felt like the immense storm of worry and pain that was spiralling inside his head calmed down, like he could finally show what a burden his job really was. Every day, he got to deal with murders, with rape and abused woman and man. Slaughtered children and tortured women and men. Most of the time the victim consisted out of a plastic bag of bones or a hair, or even pieces of flesh that were beyond recognizing.

'I'm sure no-one would blame you for _not_ taking on this case. Not every murderer or rapist is your responsibility, Arthur.' Merlin said, and Arthur could only shake his head.

'It's a burden that I must bear to bring justice. I cannot let that man go unpunished.' Arthur said, while he stared at his lap. Part of him knew that Merlin was right about this, that it was better for his sanity and health to withdraw from this case, but he also knew that it was impossible. How could be a trusted lawyer if he couldn't handle a case?

'There's a sense of duty in doing what is right, and knowing what _is_ right.' Merlin said suddenly, while looking at Arthur. His hand was still on Arthur's shoulder and the latter had no intention of telling him to remove it. It felt soothing.

'How can I look my sister in the eye, while she knows that I wouldn't be able to take up the case if it would be _her_? How can I live, knowing that I've been a disgrace to my father's legacy, his heritage, if I refuse to do this? He would've gotten that man into prison, he would've brought more justice into the United Kingdom than I ever could.'

Merlin shook his head and a sad smile came to his lips. It looked as though his blue eyes were moist, but Arthur was probably just imaging that.

'Do you know why it's called the United Kingdom? Well, from the Arthurian perceptive, anyway.' Merlin asked, and Arthur shook his head. He actually knew why: King Arthur had united the five kingdoms into a land called Albion, but he always enjoyed it when Merlin told him about the legends. There were many versions, but Merlin's version seemed to be the most amazing, because in the others King Arthur had always been an old man and Guinevere had always betrayed him with Lancelot. In Merlin's version, things were a lot brighter and happier. But the ending wasn't happy, not for anyone. Not even for the warlock, Merlin, or for the knights of the round table.

'After King Arthur died, Merlin returned to Queen Guinevere. He learned of Gwaine's death from Percival, and he also learned that Guinevere wasn't bearing any children. This meant that the Pendragon legacy would cease to exist and that Camelot would crumble to the clutches of time. Guinevere chose to marry the most loyal of knights, sir Leon, and together they brought forth three children, all boys. Their union wasn't one of love, though Leon was a caring husband and a great father.'

'The three young boys were told the legend of King Arthur and his manservant Merlin, how they'd been both sides of a coin, and how the prophecies told that they would've united the kingdoms. The five kingdoms still weren't united at that time, only because the kings and queens didn't agree with Guinevere's choice of allowing magic into the kingdom…

For more than forty years, they'd been told that magic brought only pain and sorrow, and so they looked down upon Guinevere and Leon for lifting the ban. For whatever reason, the oldest boy was gifted with magic himself. Gwaine, as he was named after the fallen knight, set out to the kingdoms to show them what good magic could do.

He spent days conjuring magical dragons out of nowhere, lighting fires and conjuring butterflies and flowers out of thin air. Queen Mithian of Nemeth, the woman who King Arthur had almost married, asked him to show them the true nature of magic. She told him to use no spells, no incantations, no tools, nothing.

Gwaine knew that such a thing would cost him great strength, and that it could possibly kill him. But he decided to take on that challenge, because he knew that once the kings and queens would see the nature of magic, the kingdoms would be united. He asked for three days and found the warlock Merlin and asked him for advice.

Though Gwaine was not allowed to use any tools, Merlin gifted him with two swords forged from the dragon's breath and told him to forge them into one in front of the court. So Gwaine returned and spent hours convincing them that the swords weren't tools, but that they were part of the true nature of magic.

One of the swords, he knew, had been used to kill his father, while the other had been used to end the life of his father's murderer. He felt both of the sword's natures, one made for love and the other for hatred. He also knew that Excalibur had become the demise of the witch Morgana. Gwaine desperately wanted to destroy the one sword and to return the other to Merlin, but he brought them to the court and forged them together with magic.

When he was done, the sword's hilt was decorated by a double ouroboros, two snakes that bit each other's tails, one golden and the other green. The sword's blade seemed to glow from inside and radiated with powerful magic. Gwaine showed them the sword, and told them this:

"The true nature of magic is that it isn't the magic that it is evil or good, it is the way one chooses to use it. It can be used to heal, and it can be used to kill. But no matter what you do with it, when it all comes together, magic is only power, a tool, a sword to wield." And then the five kingdoms, even the kingdoms that initially hated Camelot, became united into what we know today to be the United Kingdom.'

Arthur shook his head at the end of the story and fought to keep back tears. It was silly to cry over a simple story, but it seemed to touch something in Arthur that he hadn't known he had. The story was beautiful and sad. So there _was_ a happy ending in the end after all.

'What happened to Merlin?' Arthur asked, his voice hoarse. He coughed and took a sip of his cold tea, thankful that his tears hadn't been spilled and that Merlin, even though he must've seen it, didn't say a word about it.

Merlin's smile broadened. 'You don't know what 'Emrys' means, do you?' he asked casually.

Arthur shook his head and frowned. 'What's an Emrys?' he asked confused. Emrys had never been a part of Merlin's stories.

The dark haired man threw back his head and laughed. Arthur's frown became even deeper, wondering what was so amusing. Merlin looked at him and smiled shyly.

'Sorry. It's not _what_ Emrys is, it's about _who_ he is. Emrys was what the druids called Merlin. It means "immortal" in some language. And that's exactly what happened to him. The powers that he was born with were so great, both a curse and a blessing, a burden and a gift, that they changed him. Instead of aging, Merlin's body remained the way it was, for many years. Whilst Queen Guinevere, King Leon and their children, and _their_ children became old and died, Merlin was forced to watch the Pendragon line die out and Albion fall into war and crumble. I'm sure he wished for it all to end, but he knew that he couldn't die, because he had to wait for Arthur to rise again in the time of need.'

Arthur gaped at Merlin and blinked a few times. 'So no happy ending after all.' he grumbled under his breath, lowering his eyes.

Merlin shrugged and took a gulp of his tea. 'There is a happy ending in there. Imagine living on while every one of your friends died, knowing that one day, you'd be reunited with your other half. Seems enough to keep on living for to me.'

Arthur nodded in agreement and smiled at Merlin. 'So what happened to the sword?' he asked after a few minutes of comfortable silence. Merlin glanced at him and shrugged again, with a smile on his face.

'I still have to think of something for that one.'

Arthur barked a laugh and ruffled through Merlin's hair jokingly.

'You better think of something soon, because I'm going to need it if I want to get through this case without emotional damage.'


End file.
